Parque--CWX starter--info

[Terryray]

Sox Notebook

Parque just wants to pitch in

Thursday, August 8, 2002




By Joe Cowley
Staff writer Daily Southtown


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Parque is content just being called a pitcher.
Not the injured pitcher, the struggling pitcher or the pitcher who was in White Sox general manager Ken Williams' doghouse early in the season.

"To be honest, I really don't even want to talk about the past," said Parque, who was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. "Spring training seems so long ago. This is Day 1 for me. You have to approach it as Day 1 and realize that it could be your first and last day."

Parque will get his first major league start of the season tonight against Anaheim. He replaces Todd Ritchie, who's on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right shoulder.

It's been a trying season for Parque. The left-hander, who missed much of the 2001 campaign after having shoulder surgery, was the Sox's No. 3 starter in spring training. But after his pitch velocity dropped, Parque was relegated to working in "B" games.

Williams, Manager Jerry Manuel and former Sox pitching coach Nardi Contreras felt Parque wasn't ready for the big leagues at the start of the year and sent him to Charlotte. Parque sounded off to the Chicago media from Charlotte, drawing an angry response from Williams.

"He needs to get his head and his (bleep) in the same city," Williams said in mid-April.

Parque was called up by the Sox at the end of April. In three relief appearances, he allowed nine runs on 14 hits, including three homers by Seattle's Mike Cameron in his record-tying four-homer game May 2. Parque was sent back to Charlotte the next day.

"Some guys bounce back (from surgery) faster than others," Parque said. "I, unfortunately, wasn't given that gene. It's been a trying experience. I took the wrong approach early on. Kenny said it best: My (bleep) was in Charlotte and my head was in Chicago."

Parque has been impressive of late, going 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in his last five starts for the Knights.

"If he pitches well and gives us a chance to win, no doubt he can start (again)," Manuel said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how he performs. Jimmy's had the ability to pitch, but surgery has forced him to be cognizant of pitching."

from ESPN scouting report:


Pitching
Parque never has had great stuff, but gets by as a fastball-changeup pitcher by controlling the inner half of the plate. He does throw a curveball, although he's always had problems getting it called for strikes. He must get ahead in the count to be effective, but has not developed as much command as the White Sox had expected he would. Perhaps because his curveball never has been a plus pitch, lefthanded batters look forward to hitting against him.


Defense
Parque has an excellent pickoff move, which freezes most basestealers. He is not a good fielder, however. He moves well on the mound, but never has harnessed a tendency to try to do too much once he gets to a ball. He tends to work incredibly slowly with runners on base, which is most of the time he's pitching

 

[Terryray]

Parque primed for another shot

August 8, 2002

BY DOUG PADILLA STAFF REPORTER SUN-TIMES




Humbled and with a renewed focus, Jim Parque will take the mound tonight ready to do things on the White Sox' terms.

Parque, who will face off against Anaheim Angels right-hander Aaron Sele, was recalled to the Sox after Todd Ritchie was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday because of inflammation in his right shoulder.

"I look back on everything, and [manager] Jerry [Manuel] was right when he came up to me at spring training,'' said Parque, who was coming off shoulder surgery. "He said this was going to be a trying time, and he gave me his definition of patience. He said, 'You can either come out stronger or weaker, it's up to you, but it could make you a lot stronger.' I think it has.''

Parque was labeled the team's No. 3 starter when camp opened in Tucson, Ariz., in February, but it quickly appeared that he wasn't the pitcher he once was. Struggling with his velocity, the left-hander soon was sent off to start B games, leaving his chances of making the big-league roster in doubt.

He didn't, and he complained he wasn't given a fair chance to show what he could do with the velocity he had. He was sent to Charlotte but still complained, prompting general manager Ken Williams to fire back that Parque needed to keep his mind on things in Charlotte and not in Chicago.

"In the beginning of the year, I took the wrong approach,'' Parque said. "It was tough coming in as the No. 3 starter, and my arm's not responding. No matter what I did, it wouldn't respond, so it was kind of hard to take.''

On April 23, the Sox gave Parque the chance to show what he cold do by recalling him from Charlotte. But that three-game stint ended in disaster when he gave up three of Mike Cameron's four home runs May 2.

"I think Jimmy always had the ability to pitch,'' Manuel said. "Because of the surgery, I think it forced him a little bit more to be cognizant of that aspect of it vs. a guy that could say, 'Hey, now I'm going to throw one by you,' instead of, 'I'm going to throw one so you can put it in play but not put it in play very effectively.' I think that's pretty much what they were trying to explain that he had grasped in the time he was in Charlotte.''

With his wife expecting in a month, Parque has a better appreciation of things. Even a midseason story that said he never would pitch for the Sox again did not bother him.

"I just really focused on myself and my family,'' Parque said. "My wife is having a little baby in about a month here. I'm just focused on that and not worried about what's going on on the outskirts. I can't help or try to curb what people are thinking about me.

"I knew a lot of people would lose faith, or a lot of people would be wondering what's going on. All I cared about was getting my career back on track, and hopefully it is.''

CLOSE LINE: Manuel confirmed Wednesday that Keith Foulke will return to closing games, sharing those duties with Damaso Marte and Antonio Osuna.

"He's pitched well,'' Manuel said about Foulke. "He's performed well enough to warrant an opportunity to close games.''

Foulke has pitched nine scoreless innings in his last seven outings and has a 1.10 ERA over his last 12 appearances. His last save came June 27 against the Minnesota Twins, and his next save will give him 99 as a member of the White Sox. That would move him past Hoyt Wilhelm into sole possession of third place on the team's all-time list.


PARQUE'S CAREER NUMBERS

The up-and-down career of Sox left-hander Jim Parque, who was recalled from Class AAA Charlotte and will start vs. Anaheim tonight.

Yr W-L IP H BB SO ERA

1998 7-5 113.0 135 49 77 5.10

1999 9-15 173.2 210 79 111 5.13

2000 13-6 187.0 208 71 111 4.28

2001 0-3 28.0 36 10 15 8.04

2002 0-1 9.0 14 3 4 9.00

Totals 29-30 510.2 603 212 318 5.04

08/07/2002 8:05 pm ET

MLBeat: The return of Parque

By Jimmy Greenfield / MLB.com




CHICAGO -- A contrite and humbled Jim Parque reappeared at Comiskey Park Wednesday a little older, a little wiser and just a month away from receiving a little bundle of joy.
"It's kind of a gut-check when your wife's walking around with a little baby ready to come out," he said.

There was nobody more confused or angry in the White Sox Spring Training clubhouse than Parque, who was desperately trying to get himself ready for the season after undergoing major shoulder surgery less than 12 months earlier.

"It's too long of a process," Parque said in March. "It's wearing on me."

Things got worse before they got better. Parque began the season in Triple-A Charlotte before getting called up to the Sox on April 23. He was returned to the minors May 2 after allowing six homers and nine runs in three relief appearances.

Parque left a 7-9 record and a 6.47 ERA back in Charlotte when the Sox recalled him Tuesday night to replace Todd Ritchie, who was placed on the disabled list Tuesday night with inflammation in his right shoulder.

But in Parque's last five starts he went 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA and his velocity began to settle in at 86-87 miles per hour, still shy of what it was pre-surgery.

"No matter what I did (my arm) wouldn't respond," Parque said. "That was kind of hard to take. Finally, (Charlotte manager Nick Capra) and (pitching coach Kirk Champion) down there both said 'you're doing everything you can, just go out there and become a pitcher. Once your stuff comes back you'll see the biggest difference that you've ever seen.'

"That's what I did and that's what happened. I just need to take it from the International League to the American League."

Even with the knowledge that it can take at least two years for a pitcher to return to full strength from shoulder surgery, Parque was embarrassed to be headed for the minors after going 13-6 with the Sox division-winning club in 2000.

White Sox manager Jerry Manuel has only promised Parque one start (Thursday against the Angels) but there's a good chance he'll remain with the Sox the rest of the season if he shows signs of a recovery. He'll be eligible for arbitration at the end of the season.

"I have to hand it to Jerry," Parque said. "He was right when he came up in Spring Training and said this was going to be a trying time and gave me the definition of patience. You can either come out stronger or weaker, it's up to you. But it can make you a lot stronger, and it has."

Thumb's up: Joe Crede's first week as the White Sox starting third baseman is behind him, which is where he'd like to leave it. Crede went 4-for-26 (.154) with one walk, 11 strikeouts and no extra-base hits in seven games.

For his efforts, Crede received the assurances of his manager that he doesn't need to worry about losing his job.

"Joe came with a thumb bruise on his left hand," Manuel said. "He's the type of guy who never complains or says anything about an injury, he always tries to play through it. I think that was evident when he had something wrong with his foot.

"I think for the most part with a young player like that you've got to keep encouraging, you've got to give him the benefit of the doubt and you got to continue to put him out there."

Sox drawer: Magglio Ordonez hit his 25th homer Tuesday night, joining Frank Thomas as the only players in Sox history to hit at least 25 in four straight seasons. ... Paul Konerko homered in the first two games after the All-Star break but has no homers and only six RBIs since. ... Aaron Rowand returned to the starting lineup after missing Tuesday's game with a sore neck. ... Mark Johnson was a last-minute scratch at catcher for Wednesday night's game with a sore right big toe and was replaced by Josh Paul.

Fantasy Edge: The Sox closer situation isn't any less clear. Manuel said Wednesday that he could go with either Damaso Marte, Antonio Osuna or Keith Foulke depending on matchups. The Angels have a ton of lefties so consider activating Marte for the rest of this series.

Jim Parque, seen here during Spring Training, was optioned to Triple-A in May. (Ted S. Warren/AP)

 

[Valuist]

Before he had arm surgery he could barely hit 88-89 MPH on the gun. Even after a few decent starts at AAA, his ERA there is over 6.00.

 

[ferdville]

Angels are pretty tough against LH pitchers and yesterday's loss won't get them down. They will be firing on all cylinders today. Parquet never had an e.r.a under 4.28 in majors before; hard to believe he will be better pitcher today than in past.

 

[BobbyBlueChip]

85 mph is the top that Parque can get to. Yes, that's his fastball. He's got a bad attitude, is not well liked in the clubhouse and should be a headcase tonight.

 

[kcwolf]

Agree, Bobby.